In RICHARD III UNSPUN, Annette Carson investigates two incidents, shortly before Richard became king, that readers find especially perplexing. In the Stony Stratford affair, we look at what led Richard to make a series of arrests, as 12-year-old Edward V was conveyed from Ludlow to be crowned in London. We examine how these actions were provoked by the slights of those who had seized power over the boy-king and his coming reign. With Lord Hastings, we strip away layers of misdirection alleging that he was Richard’s friend and ally who, according to Shakespeare, was duped and betrayed. Instead, we confront Hastings’s real nature as an unsavoury courtier and political player, whose concern was mainly self-preservation. For too long, characterisations of Richard III have relied heavily on a small number of writers who were not present at events themselves but wrote as if they had been. Context is key to understanding history. We always need to ask ourselves what really went before, and what has been glossed over.Annette Carson goes back to basic sources, reconstructing events from clues in the few contemporary records, and checking the who, when, where and why of each developing twist and turn.
